Community Perceptions and Trust in Government Measures during Covid-19 Pandemic in Kwara State, Nigeria
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Date
2020
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Department Of Sociology, Benue State University, Makurdi
Abstract
The spread of the novel Corona virus disease (COVID-19) has come and gone but not without casualties across the world, particularly. Nigeria. Nigerian Government, in collaboration with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has introduced different preventive measures to control and mitigate the scourge. The public health directives and regulations provided by the authorized agencies such as the NCDC, which includes measures such as regular hand washing. wearing of nose mask and maintenance of physical distancing has been met with some public criticism and as a result the directives were ignored and violated in Kwara state even in the face of law enforcement agents. Thus this study examines the community perceptions and trust in government measures during COVID-19 pandemic in Kwara State Nigeria. The research designs were both exploratory and descriptive using qualitative research method. In-depth interview (IDI) was used to generate qualitative data from forty (40) participants. The population of the study comprises participants such as Market men and women from three selected market area, ATM users and highway drivers and passengers. Content analysis reveals factors which undermine government preventive efforts and these include, poor compliance attitude, myth and misconceptions, inadequate health facilities, distrust for government, as well as the general belief that the virus is not real but it was meant for the elites in Nigeria and beyond. The study recommends, among others, that there is need to ameliorate the adverse effects of COVID-19 misconceptions and myths through evidence-based campaigns using all sources of information.
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Keywords
COVID-19, safety rules, violation, NCDC, frustration, aggression, Nigeria